Forbidden Desire
by Vandalia LaRue
Summary: We always long for the forbidden things, and desire what is denied us.
1. Preface

It was no secret that Draco Malfoy had been the biggest of asses his first and second years at Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was no secret that Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger hated Draco, with good reason. Draco had tried to ruin Harry's name from the moment the two of them stepped foot into the school that night on September First.

The first time Draco laid eyes on Hermione, he was smitten. But he couldn't help his bad attitude against her. Their first year together; she had made friends with Potter, not him. She was a Gryffindor, he was a Slytherin. His Father had warned him about those brave-hearts. He couldn't associate himself with her. Not his first year anyway.

His second year led to him being an even more of a pompous asshole. Draco's Father over the summer had filled him with such a hatred towards the muggles. Hermione Granger, was a muggle-born witch. A mudblood. Draco didn't exactly believe in what his Father did, remaining a pure blood but none the less, Draco was a Malfoy and he had to keep the Malfoy name in high standards. He had to be the little shit his Father raised him to be.

It killed him inside to call Hermione Granger a mudblood to her face that day. To see the look upon her face... he'd never seen Granger so hurt before. But he couldn't go back on his word now. He knew he'd lost his chance with her. They were only twelve years old and all the little daydreams Draco had been having about her for the last two years, they turned disastrous.

By the start of his third year, Draco had matured quite a lot. He no longer looked like that young lil' Malfoy boy. At thirteen years old, Draco hit his puberty and became, well, quite the commodity among the Slytherin ladies. He started to date Pansy Parkinson, a good looking girl there in the Slytherin house though... he had to admit it, at least to himself; when they snogged, it was Granger he thought about.

Hermione on the other hand, her nose was far too into books to worry about relationships. Anyone who looked at the golden trio would have predicted Granger to go for Potter. She found herself always awkward around Ron Weasley, shaking his hand instead of hugging him... but with Harry, she fully let herself be, herself. Maybe they were meant to be together? She didn't know. Hermione was only thirteen, it wasn't at all on her top priorities list to 'find a boyfriend' or 'snog around'.

She had a fantastic reputation in Gryffindor to uphold. Sure, she was a bit of a troublemaker with Harry and Ron...the whole ordeal with the Sorcerer's Stone, the Chamber of Secrets last year. Even this year, third year, she could smell the trouble brewing but, she was still at the top of all of her teachers lists. Especially Professor McGonagall. She was to McGonagall what Harry Potter was to Albus Dumbledore. She was to McGonagall what Draco Malfoy was to Severus Snape.

Sirius Black was on the loose, Dementors roamed the school as they pleased. Draco teased Harry every opportunity he got about the thirteen year old Potter passing out on the train to Hogwarts at what he thought was just the mere sight of a Dementor. Not that Draco didn't exactly find them scary, because yes, he did. But the Dementor's weren't after Draco the way they were after Potter... no one realized that though, except perhaps Potter and Lupin.

Our story begins...


	2. Chapter 1

Third year had started off with a bang. Dementors on the train. Dementors on the school grounds. It wasn't just Harry that was scared to death of them... Ron and Hermione were as well. Though, they hadn't passed out upon the train to Hogwarts, Ron had mentioned he felt as if he'd never be cheerful again.

Hermione had felt her happiness slip away and her inner depression and worries take over.. including the worry of taking too many classes this year; even with the help of the time-turner that McGonagall had given her when she arrived. Most of all...Hermione felt her inner most depression creep forward. The depression of always being alone. Never having someone she could call "mine."

It was no secret that Ginny was falling for Harry, whether the feelings or not were returned, Hermione didn't know. Ron had his eye on a few girls in the third year, even a couple in the fourth.. but Ron wasn't the type to date. He was a flirt, everyone knew that. It was a Weasley trait. Look at Fred and George, thought Hermione.

Then...the relationship that irked her the most... Draco and Pansy Parkinson were at least an official, snogging at the dinner table in the Great Hall, couple. It'd added insult to injury in Hermione's point of view that evening, their first Care of Magical Creatures class that Hagrid was teaching this year. Their first lesson with Buckbeak.

Draco had pretty much insulted the beautiful Hippogriff... and soon Draco was upon the ground, crying, screaming that the beast had killed him. Pansy had screamed out, crying for her boyfriend and it was all Hermione could do not to cry as well... It was no secret to herself now, that the Dementors had made her feel that depression towards Draco; that she felt something for him. Felt something she probably shouldn't. After all, he was Draco... the guy who called her mudblood last year.

Regardless, Hermione ran to the gate and opened it for Hagrid as he carried Draco... and as Hermione walked up the cobblestone steps up towards the castle; the whole class behind them.. Slytherin's bitching that it was Hagrid's fault.. Gryffindor's bitching that it was purely Draco's stupidity at fault, it was then that Hermione noticed that Draco's eyes weren't on his girlfriend Pansy to the left of Hagrid, crying and whining to Draco that she was so sorry and that she'd be his loving slave until he was better... Draco's eyes were on her, Hermione.

Her face turned cherry red like a tomato and she played with her bottom lip by biting at it...and she noticed...Draco smiled somewhat. What...what had this moment just been? Hermione thought to herself as they entered the castle and split off from Hagrid as he took Draco up to the medical wing, to Madam Pomfrey...the Gryffindor's headed towards their common room and the Slytherin's to theirs. You could hear somewhat down the hallway that Hagrid was telling Pansy to go to the common room and not to come with them...and surprisingly, to Hermione's ears, she heard Draco telling Pansy the same thing.

Hermione couldn't understand... if it'd have been last year, she'd have laughed and grinned and screamed that Draco deserved what the beautiful Buckbeak did to him. But now... this year... she was questioning her dislike for him. Sure, he tormented Harry on a daily basis practically...and Ron and herself to be quite honest. But there was something different about him now that Hermione found herself desperate to understand.

She had no idea that he felt the same way...


End file.
